Drowning In Reality
by zefyr.cv
Summary: Akihito Sato was a normal person up until he awoke in the world of Tokyo Ghoul. Can he survive his way through the events leading up to the end? Maybe change some things for the better? Or will he fail at every turn?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Run. That's all that went through Akihito Sato's head as he ran through the alleyways. He had not been keeping track of how long or how far he has been running; he just knew he wouldn't stop until he was safe. "No way. This can't really be happeni-" he collapsed against a pile of boxes which had been abandoned in the alleyway. The heavy rainfall drowned out Akihito's heavy breathing as he collected himself; recalling the events which brought him here.. the world of Tokyo Ghoul.

**Chapter 1: Just Average**

If you ask Akihito Sato what he does with his life, he'd tell you he's just an average Japanese student in his senior year living an everyday life. As for what he defines as, "an everyday life," it would be a life of someone who avoids social interaction. It's not like he hates the idea; he just was never good at fitting in. Akihito's body type is pretty average; besides an above average height at 180 cm. Akihito's late mother is Japanese, while his father is a foreigner from Canada. While most of his features come from his mother, he has inherited his father's silver eyes. Nothing out of the ordinary; besides his social awkwardness.

Akihito's room is pretty simple; a desk for his laptop and school papers, a single bed against the wall, a TV at the foot of his bed, a gaming system, and a bookshelf for his books. His bookshelf was filled with series such as Re:Zero; Life In Another World, Monogatari Series, Elfen Lied, Tokyo Ghoul, Code Geass, Made In Abyss, Death Note, Violet Evergarden, and Dusk Maiden X Amnesia. Below those shelves he had two games; Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far, and Nier Automata. There's only one thing that could be considered out of place; the absence of Akihito himself.

* * *

Akihito's eyes opened slowly to a room of darkness. "**Why is it so dark..?"** Akihito thought to himself, reaching out for his lamp. "Hm..? Where's that da- ack!" Akihito clutched his side, biting his lip as he struggled to sit up against the wall. The pain that was shooting up his side felt as if he'd been stabbed with a red hot piece of iron.

Akihito focused on breathing, steadily balancing himself against the wall behind him. "What the hell..?" He croaked out, realizing now how sore his throat was. Barely any of his voice could make it past his lips. Akihito focused on his heartbeat as the pain slowly shrunk down, "Okay, I can't call out for my dad.. I'll have to make it to my phone by my desk.." Akihito calculated the best course of action for his situation. The door to the room creaked as began pouring through, forcing Akihito to cover his eyes with his sleeve.

"Ah I see you're awake. I wouldn't recommend moving though." Akihito didn't recognize the voice that called out to him. He was much more fluent in Japanese than his father. "Ah, my apologies," The man said as a click from the light switch could be heard, "I hadn't realized how dark it would be." Akihito let his arm down and opened his eyes, adjusting to the fully lit room. Realization spread across Akihito's face as he took in his surroundings; this was not his room. The room appeared to be located in a hospital, noticeably lacking a window. There's the bed he was currently seated upon, and the only other pieces of furniture was a stool across from the bed, and a nightstand beside the bed. Akihito's eyes landed on the figure in the doorway, who was wearing a white lab coat. His hair was grey, and his face showing signs of his older age. An uneasy smile across his.. familiar face, yet Akihito couldn't place where he'd seen it before.

"Where..? Who..-" Akihito was interrupted by his own coughing. "Here, you've been asleep for a while. You'll need to drink some water," the man informed Akihito, offering him a glass of water. Akihito accepted the offered cup and inspected it. "Relax, it's not poisoned. It's just water," the stranger said. Akihito put the cup to his lips, his parched throat immediately relieved. Looking up from the rim of his glass, Akihito studied the unknown man's face; unsure of where he's seen this person. "Sorry.. I can't recall your name, or ever coming here. Could you tell me why I'm here?" Akihito asked. The stranger gave Akihito a warm smile, which only made Akihito feel more uncomfortable. Something about this felt.. wrong.

"So you have no memory then? How much can you remember?" the stranger answered him. Akihito's eyebrows furrowed, focusing on what he could remember from before waking up here. "I was.. sketching some characters from a game I had played the night before. Then I headed out to a convenience store nearby before.." Akihito answered wearily, realization hitting him that there was a gap in his memory, "I can't remember anything after leaving my apartment.." Akihito finished. "Ah, well you were a long way from any convenience stores when I found you," the stranger pulled the stool beside the bed and took a seat, pulling out a clipboard which had been tucked at the foot of the bed, "luckily, I was able to bring you here. You were very close to bleeding out when I found you. My name is Doctor Kanou, pleased to meet you.. Ah, my apologies. I didn't catch your name?" "**Wait... Kanou? That can't be right.. Could it be a coincidence?" **Akihito thought, subconsciously pressing himself against the wall, trying to stay as far from Kanou as possible.

"Sato.. Akihito Sato." Akihito answered.

* * *

"So I was in a coma for the past 14 days?" Akihito asked Kanou. He took a better look at his surroundings, noticing the IV in his arm. Absentmindedly he traced the stitches along his left side just above his hip. "Yes, that is correct." Kanou answered him, "However, I wasn't able to find any sort of ID on you when I was preparing you for surgery, so I haven't been able to contact any relatives of yours." Kanou tapped his pen against the clipboard on his lap, seemingly lost in thought. "Ah, I hadn't really thought I'd be in a situation like this, especially when the trip wouldn't have lasted longer than 20 minutes." Akihito said, his eyes wandering around the boring room. "You're a very interesting individual, Akihito. I've never heard of someone with a count of zero RC cells before."

Akihito's eyes darted towards Kanou, his grip tightening on the bed sheets. "Sorry.. I don't quite understand what you meant by 'RC' cells.." Akihito answered. "**No.. This isn't possible.. Is this some sort of prank?" **Akihito thought to himself. Kanou raised his eyes to Akihito's, a smile across his face. "Ah, most people don't. RC cells is short for 'Red Child' cells; getting their name from the resemblance of curled up fetuses," Kanou began informing Akihito, sounding almost as if rehearsed. "Everyone's RC cell count ranges in small numbers of two hundred to five hundred on average for a healthy person. I've run six tests while you were in your coma, and yet there was no trace whatsoever.." Kanou continued.

Akihito's grip relaxed on the sheets, realization dawned on him. "**A dream. That's the only reasonable explanation.." **His thoughts drowned out Kanou's words. "**But this feels too real.. I'm too aware of-" **Akihito's attention snapped back to the sound of Kanou's pen clicking. "I recommend a few more days for you to recover before you are released. Wouldn't want you ripping your stitches by accident." Kanou said as he stood up, placing the clipboard back on a hook at the end of the bed.

"Plenty of rest. I'll be back to check in on you soon. And I'll be sure to contact your father with the information you've given me." Kanou said, giving Akihito a reassuring smile. "Yeah, thank you.." Akihito answered, his thoughts running a marathon. Akihito heard the door click shut, followed by footsteps down the hallway outside his current room.

"**I know I didn't mishear him.. This prank is cruel.. pulling on your own patient." **Akihito thought to himself, reaching down for the clipboard on the end of his bed. Setting his eyes on the paper attached, he read through everything. "**Patient #012.. Blood type O-, 180 cm tall, 66.7 kg.. RC cell count: none.. It's actually there.." ** Akihito sighed, placing the clipboard back and laying back, letting his eyes drift closed. "**Just had to get a doctor assigned who torments his patients with jokes like this." **Akihito thought as he fell into the depths of slumber.

* * *

"_My appetite just keeps on decreasing."_

"_Ghouls are unable to digest any nutrients of non-human origin. It's said to be a result of a particular enzyme they have."_

"_You guys are the ones that are wrong with this world!"_

"_Don't... make me become a murderer..."_

"_I'm gonna try sticking this guy in your ear, alright?"_

"_Far away, I could hear someone's laughter.. It was me."_

"_**What's 1000 minus 7?"**_

* * *

Akihito woke up to the sound of footsteps down a hallway. "**Ah.. Dad must be awake." ** Akihito thought to himself; opening his eyes. Akihito's heart skipped a beat; he was still in the same room from what he thought had been a dream. The footsteps stopped at the door and a knock followed shortly after. "Akihito? Are you awake?" a soft feminine voice called out. "Ah yeah, it's alright to come in." Akihito answered, sitting up.

The door opened to reveal two girls, both nearly identical. Akihito looked them over carefully, eyes widening once he noticed their eyes. "Wait.. those are contacts, right?" Akihito asked, gripping his sheet as the two girls stepped in. The girl on the left was wearing a white outfit, matching her hair. The girl on the right was the opposite; black hair with matching clothes. But most noticeably.. was the glowing red iris in one of each of these girls; left eye for the girl in black, and right eye for the girl in white. "Of course not," said the girl in white. "But shouldn't you already know that?" The girl in black finished. "Eh?" Akihito tilted his head, his heartbeat quickening and making it's way up to his ears.

"**What do they mean by that..?" **The girls looked at each other and nodded, before the black haired girl raised a mirror up towards Akihito. Akihito's eyes landed on his reflection, and the same red eye stared back at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Fear**

Darkness was all I knew in that moment. The room that I had gotten familiar with during my recovery had disappeared along with the two girls. All there was for me in that moment could only be described as.. _terrifying_.

All I had to comfort me was the ringing in my ears and the single red eye, staring back through my own reflection.

Time felt as if it had stopped, and the only thing that I could put together in my pitiful attempts to make sense of the situation was.. "**Why?"**

My eyes shut; I refused to look at myself anymore. The red glow disappeared, but the feeling of my heart falling hadn't disappeared.

".. -hito?" Was a voice calling out for me? My lungs felt as if they were full of water. I could feel myself drifting through the endless void around me.

"Akihito, snap out of-" I heard the same voice again, drifting away as fast as it had come. I felt a hand gently grab onto my shoulder, and the void around me felt like it was being pulled back at speeds I had never felt before.

"Akihito, answer us!" Two voices called out, this time clear as day. My eyes snapped open; the room unchanged.

My eyes drifted up to see the girls, recognizing both of them as Nashiro Yasuhisa and Kurona Yasuhisa, with worried expressions on their faces. "**I must have freaked them out."**

"Are you alright now?" Nashiro asked, both of the girls looking me over.

"Ah, yeah.. I just.. need some time for myself." I answered, my eyes landing on my shaking hands.

"But-"

"He's fine, Nashiro. Papa said not to take too long anyways." Kurona cut off her sister, heading towards the door.

".. Alright." Nashiro complied. Her grip released from my shoulder, which I hadn't realized was still there.

I listened to their footsteps exiting the room, followed by the door clicking shut. The hand mirror had been abandoned beside me on the bed.

Listening to the sound of their footsteps drift away down the hallway, I reached over to the abandoned mirror. I stared at my own reflection, specifically the faintly glowing red on my left eye. "**This is a nightmare.." **I desperately tried to convince myself, failing miserably.

* * *

I stared at my reflection, the time that had passed going unnoticed. "**In the manga, Kanou had been making artificial ghouls to bridge the gap between ghouls and humanity. Assuming this world had the same structure, this place must be under the Yasuhisa mansion that Kanou had hidden all his research and experimentation."**

Escaping would be difficult.

I placed the mirror down beside me, lifting up my shirt to take a look at the wound I had woken up with the last time I had woken up.

"**I guess that's what this is from, just like Kaneki.." **realization hit me, and I immediately shot up off the bed. If this really was the same world, it's possible I could get to Anteiku and explain my situation. At least, the believable parts would be enough.

"**Let's see.. If I'm going to escape, I'll have to at least be able to use my kagune in order to activate the RC walls that lead up to the mansion's main floor." ** I began brainstorming my escape, "**So how did Kaneki think of it on his first attempt? Like imagining.. Extra limbs, right?"**

Closing my eyes, I imagined two limbs stretching out from my lower back. I focused on trying to extend them around my right, hoping that I'd at least be able to defend myself if I was to get attacked in my escape attempt.

I opened my eyes, looking towards my right. "**Alright, that should be- huh?" **my heart dropped to see that there was no signs of a kagune whatsoever. I looked over my shoulder and reached around to feel the spot where the kagune should have come from, only to feel nothing at all.

"**Damn, I guess that would have been too eas- oh god.." **I felt a wave of nausea rise up my body as I sat back down, covering my mouth.

"**What's going on here..?" **I curled up and fell onto my left side, clutching my stomach.

I felt as if my blood had started boiling, making its way throughout every vein and artery throughout my body. "**What's.. happening to me?" **I thought over what I knew about ghoul anatomy. For Kaneki, he hadn't gone through any side effects like this. So what was the difference?

"**The difference.. What is the.." **it was becoming harder to think about anything other than the sickly warmth running throughout my body.

"**It's hottest at.. my back..?" **realizing this, I forced myself to sit up, focusing on keeping my balance.

"**The kakuhou.. It is the base of the kagune, holding large amounts of RC cells.." **realization hit me. It had to be RC cells. I was experiencing the feeling of RC cells in my body for the first time.

"**In this world, people and ghouls were born with RC cells, yet I was born without any." **I focused on breathing, crossing my fingers that it would stabilize within my body. "Please don't let me end up like Kanou's failed experiments.." I whispered, darkness taking me into its embrace.

* * *

"_Could you spare a little bit of your time, Fueguchi-san..?"_

"_Hinami, run."_

"_Mom is.. all alone.."_

"_Hinami.. Li-"_

"_Whoops. Time's up."_

* * *

The feeling of weightlessness carried me through the darkness. I couldn't tell how long, but all I knew is that it was a very long time. There was one familiar feeling however.. A warmth, that brought back a fond memory from my childhood.

"Akihito, are you feeling any better?" a gentle voice I could never forget asked me.

"A lot better.. I think I'll be able to go to school tomorrow." I answered, looking towards my mother's smiling face.

"I'm glad." She said, her hand covering my own. She'd always hold my hand until I fell asleep when I was recovering from a sickness. "But don't push yourself too hard, or you'll end up right back in bed as sick as before."

"That wouldn't be so bad, since I'd get to spend more time with you." I answered, earning a light chop to the forehead.

"Now that won't do. I can't take care of you forever." I frowned and rubbed my forehead with my free hand.

"I know. That's why I gotta take care of myself, so I can take care of you when you get sick." I smiled tiredly, fighting the urge to fall asleep so soon. And then she began singing a lullaby, like she always would.

I closed my eyes, listening to my mother's voice drift further and further away from me. The warmth of her hand never leaving my own.

"_I miss you, mom. Each and every day."_

* * *

My eyes opened slowly, the warmth never leaving my hands. My eyes adjusted to the same ceiling I awoke to the last two times I had awoken. My arms and legs felt like jelly; too sore to move.

I noticed the bed I was laying on had been moved to the middle of the room, but.. why?

I looked down to my sides, noticing Kurona holding onto my left hand, and Nashiro holding onto my right. Both of their heads resting on the bed space that hadn't been taken up.

"**Are they asleep? Their hands feel like.. like Mom's." **I thought to myself, looking back up at the ceiling. "**So they fell asleep by my side.. But why?"**

Thinking back to their characters in the manga, I remembered how they were manipulated by Kanou, promising them the family they for craved so much.

"**In the end, they're victims like the rest of Kanou's experiments." **I thought to myself. "**Can I somehow convince them to come with me and escape?"**

I sat up carefully, looking down at the twins on each side of me. "**Neither of you deserve what's to come. If I can, I'll help the two of you."**

As if she had heard my thoughts, Kurona's eyes opened and met my own. She lazily sat up and covered a yawn with her free hand.

"Nashiro, he's awake." Kurona said, reaching over to nudge her sister's shoulder.

"He's awake?" Nashiro lifted her head, brushing her hair out of her face with her free hand. She looked over in my direction; her eyes widening in what looked to be.. relief?

I looked down at my hands, still being held by the twins. The twins gaze fell to their hands, and let go shortly after.

"You talk in your sleep." Nashiro began, looking down at her hands. "We thought you'd feel better if you knew you weren't alone."

Looking at the twins, I couldn't help but get the impression they looked like kids who had been caught doing something wrong. ".. I hope it wasn't anything embarrassing." I said, chuckling lightly at my poor attempt to break the ice.

Kurona looked over at Nashiro, then to me. "**Perhaps she noticed?"** Nashiro looked up from her hands towards me, her guilty look melting away.

"Whenever one of us would have nightmares, we'd hold each other's hands to fall back asleep." Kurona stated, Nashiro nodding in agreement.

"I don't recall you two ever introducing yourselves." I reminded the two, not wanting to let their names slip without never actually hearing them.

Kurona nodded and spoke up first, "Kurona Yasuhisa." followed by Nashiro, "Nashiro Yasuhisa."

I nodded, before introducing myself properly. "I'm Akihito Sato, pleased to meet you two." "**Alright, now I should see about figuring out where I am in the timeline.. I don't have much time to waste."**

"Would it be possible to get Dr. Kanou for me? I need to speak to him about being released as soon as possible." I asked, gauging their reactions.

Kurona kept a blank look, while Nashiro mirrored her expression. "Papa isn't here at the moment. He's busy with an appointment, a few hours away from here." Kurona answered.

"**Busy? Wait.. could that mean Kaneki is still meeting him for his checkups?" **I sighed, disappointed.

"I heard he's also my friend's doctor. Perhaps you might know him? Kaneki Ken. He's a little dorky looking.. Probably had his face in a book?" I lied, hoping that I could confirm my suspicions by getting one of them to slip up.

Both of the twins eyes widened ever so slightly. "I didn't realize you knew him.." Nashiro answered

"**Bingo." **I nodded with a smile, "Yeah we met a few times in university. He's pretty shy though, especially around girls. If the two of you come across him, I'm sure he'd be a stuttering mess."

"We'll keep that in mind." Kurona noted.

"I think I'll be fine from here now. I'll talk to Dr. Kanou myself once he's back. I appreciate the two of you worrying about me." I gave the two of them a warm smile. "**I'll repay the two of you.. But I need to get stronger first. I can't do that here."**

Kurona and Nashiro glanced at each other and nodded, before standing and heading to the door. "Call for us if you need us." Nashiro called over her shoulder as the two of them made their exit.

After the door had shut and the two pairs of footsteps had made their way down the hallway, I looked down at my hands. I realized just how much the RC cells had affected my body, but weren't they supposed to help a ghoul recover? Why was I still so sore?

Gripping the sheets, I tossed them aside and attempted to stand, only to lose my balance. I gripped the bedpost firmly to balance myself out.

"**Is it a side effect..? But how would that work out? Unless.. The RC cells aren't working properly?" **I looked towards the IV drip. "**RC suppressants perhaps..?" **I pulled out the IV drip, and waited. Looking down at my body, I realized how frail I had become. I estimated about 3 weeks of being stuck in this bed. I needed to get out right away, and build myself back up to keep myself alive. "**I really don't want to become that mad scientist's pawn."**

* * *

After some time had passed, I could feel warmth throughout my body return once more. However, it wasn't boiling over like it had last time. I let go of the bedpost and eased myself up, stretching out my arms.

"**Alright, second try.. I don't have much time before Kanou makes his way back here, and then there's Nashiro and Kurona." **

I closed my eyes, focusing on my lower back again. "**So this warmth must come from the RC cells.. They're like a liquid muscle, so perhaps I should try manipulating the warmth; rather than imagining limbs." **I imagined the warmth throughout my body at the point of my lower back, and immediately felt that point heating up.

"**Alright, now.. release!" **I opened my eyes, feeling the warmth flowing from the kakuhou. I looked over my shoulder, and I saw the kagune. I recognized how much it resembled a liquid at that moment, and around the edges it seemed to evaporate into the air around it.

"**I'm actually doing it! Now to make it solid" **I focused on the extension of the kagune, feeling it flow freely. I gripped my hands into fists, feeling the kagune tighten itself. I watched as the liquid state hardened into a basic scaled tentacle, just like Kaneki's and Rize's.

I grinned. It felt nearly as easy as contracting a regular muscle. "**It'll take some getting used to, but with practice I should be able to manipulate the shape." **

I released the pressure I had built up, and the kagune liquified; immediately evaporating away.

"**I'm ready."**

* * *

**Zef here,**

**Alright we got some progress! This is my first time writing a fanfiction so I'm sorry if it's hard to follow along. I've noticed ever since Tokyo Ghoul ended, the number of fanfictions that are actively going seem to have been dropped or forgotten about. So I decided, "Hey, let's write something that I would really want to see!" and somehow ended up with this. **

**For anyone wondering, the song Akihito's mother was singing was: '****One More Time, One More Chance' by Masayoshi Yamazaki**

**Reviews are always helpful!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Escape**

"**Doesn't this place have any heating?"** I complained mentally as I wandered the long halls. I had come across some empty rooms, and a lot of locked doors.

I figured if the exit was anywhere, it would be at one of the ends of these halls. But the longer I wandered, the more worried I became of being discovered.

Dead end after dead end, loop after loop, I sighed and turned around for what felt like the hundredth time. "**Really, what's with this place? It's a ton of wasted space." **I'll admit, I've become pretty impatient.

As I continued wandering, I thought back to what I knew about Nashiro and Kurona. How their parents were brutally murdered by the hands of a ghoul, causing them to be traumatized at their young age.. After being raised in a CCG academy, Kanou manipulated them into giving up their humanity for his experiments. The two of them for the longest time have only had each other, facing the corrupt world they saw.

"**Kanou has them wrapped around his finger, but there's no doubt they'll betray him if he exposes himse-" **My attention focused on the echoes of three pairs of footsteps coming around the next hallway. I hastily reached for the nearest door, thankfully unlocked, stepped in and quietly shut the door behind me, pressing my ear to it. I held my breath, worried just how sensitive their ears may be.

"-nd his condition?" I recognized Kanou's voice echo off the empty halls. The footsteps rounding the corner.

"He's stable, and resting." Nashiro replied, sticking to Kanou's right side. Kurona mirrored Nashiro on Kanou's left.

"Good. I was worried his body would reject the kakuhou. Looks like the two of you will have a new brother."

"A new.. brother?" Nashiro questioned.

Their footsteps passed the door I was behind, holding my breath.

"Yes, considering he shares the same kakuhou as the two of you, that means you're close enough to be considered siblings. Can I expect the two of you to convince him to cooperate with us?" Kanou asked, stopping to turn towards the sisters.

"Of course, Papa." Nashiro and Kurona answered.

There was a brief period of silence, followed by the sounds of their footsteps disappearing around the corner.

Peaking my head out to make sure the hallway was clear, I stepped out of the room, continuing down the opposite direction of the hallway. They would likely be checking in on me soon enough, so I knew my time was running out.

After a couple more corners and dead ends, I noticed a much narrower path. Unlike the hallways which had a rounded ceiling and walls, this much narrower hallway seemed out of place.

"**It looks like a dead end.. If I were playing a game, I'd expect some sort of secret passage." **I thought to myself, stepping towards the wall at the end of the hall.

I focused my attention to the RC cells throughout my body, and built them up within my kakuhou. Just like last time, the dark red formed a stream of liquid muscle.

Taking a breath, I condensed the liquid-like appendage into a standard rinkaku tentacle. Followed by a quick swing against the wall.

_CRRRCK!_

The wall appeared like it bled into itself. The paint chipped away to reveal a reddish-black substance, with a hole to another room which had begun to close itself slowly.

I grinned triumphantly, swinging my kagune once again across the wall of RC cells. The hole ripped wide open, big enough to step through.

Stepping through the wall, I quickly made my way down the new hall, passing a cellar on my way to a set of stairs.

I slid my fingers along the railing, my fingers collecting dust along the way up the staircase. I stepped onto the main floor, and was met with rays of sunlight casted through a window.

_I made it._

I actually made it out. I made my way to the door, and then stopped. I couldn't help but look over my shoulder, taking in the vast emptiness that this house had. It was dusty and dark, yet so long ago it was a happy home to a family.

I looked back towards the door in front of me. Taking a deep breath, I turned the handle and stepped out of the mansion.

* * *

The sky filled with orange as the sun set on Tokyo. The hours I've spent walking felt agonizingly long. Making my way out of the maze-like laboratory exhausted me mentally and physically.

My gaze fell over to a window, noticing my reflection. I was a mess. I ran my fingers through my black, wavy hair, which did little to help my sickly appearance. I looked like I had lost weight as well. The sickly paleness made me uncomfortable. After covering my left eye with my bangs, I sighed.

"**At least now I won't have to worry about the CCG for now.. gotta be careful. Can't just walk around with a ghoul's eye and expect nobody to say anything." **I looked down at the light green hospital gown I had woken up in. "**As for my clothes.. Nothing I can do for now."**

I continued my way back to Nerima, or what's known as the "_20th Ward"_ in this world. On my way, I noticed some roads that existed in my world were either named differently, branched in different directions, or didn't exist at all. The ghoul impact must have had some part in the construction of modern day Tokyo from what I could tell.

Navigating through the streets, finding some similarities along the way, I came across Kamii University. I sighed in relief that I had made some progress. "**It's getting dark.. I wonder how long Anteiku is open for?" **I thought to myself, looking around for someone who may be able to give me directions.

* * *

"Two lefts and then take a right, then follow the alleyway ahead.." I repeated to myself, following the directions to Anteiku from the stranger I asked on the street. I took a right as instructed, making my way into an alleyway.

Feeling a drop of water hit my face, I looked up to see the darkened sky full of clouds, followed by the heavy shower of rain. I sighed and picked up my pace, not wanting to freeze and possibly catch a cold.

"**Hm..? What's that smell? It's.. almost like teriyaki sauce?" **I continued around down the alley, and took a look around the corner on my right. The smell was growing much stronger, making me salivate slightly.

I heard the sounds of crunching, followed by a slurp. My body froze when I noticed a grown man hunched over, blood pooled around him. He was up to the elbows covered in blood, holding what looked like a chunk of meat. My eyes trailed down from his hands to what he had been hunching over, and a pale young man's face stared back at me with empty eyes.

I felt my legs grow stiff, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. He was eating him. A person who looked no more than 18 years old, probably a family waiting for him. He's dead, and all that's left is his lifeless stare in a puddle of blood.

The man- no, ghoul; he wiped his mouth and stood up, looking back at me over his shoulder. My eyes stayed glued to the lifeless eyes of the body below him, and the tasty looking colour of his-

"_**Huh? What did I just..?"**_

"Hey kid, I was here first. Get lost before I decide not to be so nice." The man's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder. I looked up to see his face; blood dripping from his chin. He gripped my shoulder tightly, his hand caked in crimson. The same sweet smell was coming from his breath and the blood that coated him.

Next thing I knew, my body was thrown against the wall behind me. All the air left my lungs as I collapsed to my knees. I gasped for air, followed by coughing. The world around me was spinning; my shoulder had taken the largest impact from the collision.

"**Shit.. I think it might be dislocated.." **I winced, getting to my feet before running to my left. I followed the path I had initially been on as fast as my legs would carry me. I ran down corner after corner, wanting nothing more than to get away from that place. All my instincts screamed at me to run, pumping me with what little energy I had left. I kept running, and running, and running.

And then I tripped over some boxes around a corner. I got a face full of pavement as I collapsed onto the ground, the pain in my shoulder flaring from that ghoul's iron grip.

I pushed myself up drowsily; my heartbeat was still beating like a drum in my ears. I looked ahead of me, noticing a dumpster and door. I stumbled as I stood up, carrying myself a few steps to rest beside the dumpster.

The rain had finally let up, the clouds had gone to reveal a vast starry sky, gently polluted by the city lights. I closed my eyes, listening to the quiet streets.

* * *

"_Is it.. Okay for me to live like this..?"_

"_Hinami.. I think at that time, Ryouko was saying 'Live'."_

"_.. Yeah."_

"_That person's words really got me thinking.."_

"_This world is wrong."_

* * *

I opened my eyes to the sounds of footsteps. "**Two.. no, three?" **I thought to myself, pulling myself up to my feet flimsily. I looked towards the street, noticing the footsteps stopped. I could smell iron in the air; likely blood.

"Oi, get lost." A female voice spat tiredly. She had her arm wrapped around someone's shoulder. "**Perhaps she was wounded?"** It was too dark in the alley to see their faces well, but that voice sounded familiar.

The taller figure of the four had a young girl on his back; the two behind him looked to be around my age. I leaned against the wall for support, clutching my shoulder tenderly.

The girl pushed herself off her supporting partner and stepped towards the door, unlocking it a moment after. The taller figure headed in first with the younger girl on his back, followed by the older one.

"Wait.. your eye.." _Shit._ My eyes focused on the figure the voice came from, taking in his appearance.

My eyes widened in realization; it was so obvious.

His face looked like he had seen a ghost, but it was definitely him. His clothes had small tears and dirt all over, and his face- I'm absolutely sure it's him.

"Touka, look!" Kaneki exclaimed, pointing towards me.

"Just tell him to come back tomorrow for coffee! We're closed!" I heard Touka's voice call out impatiently from inside.

"But.." Kaneki looked towards the door, and then me. I could see his conflicted expression morph into a much more determined one, followed by him taking a few steps toward me.

"Are you hurt?" Kaneki asked, his gaze towards my shoulder.

"I think it may be dislocated." I answered, my eyes locked on his.

"Here, come with me. We can get that shoulder looked at, and a cup of coffee of course."

I stared at his determined eyes, which matched the color of my own, and gave him a friendly smile.

"Thank you, I would really like to go for a cup right now." I smiled, dizziness taking me over before collapsing right then and there.

The panicked calling from Kaneki drifted from my ears as I fell to the depths of sleep from my exhaustion.

* * *

**Zef here,**

**This took longer than I expected. I honestly had a rough time with writer's block. I looked through the Tokyo Ghoul story for inspiration, along with some other published works I enjoy. Sorry for taking so long!**

**Also, I took a look at the past 2 chapters, and did some corrections which hopefully make things a little smoother.**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Ties**

"_Aki, take care of your dad, okay?"_

"_Mom.. Please don't.."_

Nothing felt real in that moment. All I could identify was the muffled cries coming from myself, and the warmth of my mother's hand gripping my own. It all started with a phone call to my school, that my mother had been in a car accident. I hurriedly called a taxi and made my way to the hospital.

"_Aki, it's okay to be sad.. Just don't let it hold you down, alright? Keep on doing your best, and know that I'll always be proud of you." _I looked up through teary eyes towards my mother's face; which had bloody bandages wrapped around the back of her head and around her left eye. Behind an oxygen mask, she had a gentle smile.

And then her grip weakened, shortly followed by the sound of the heartbeat monitor flat-lining. I ignored the feeling of my father's hand landing on my shoulder. The world around me disappeared, and all that was left was a broken soul. No words could describe how sick I felt at that moment.

The person I knew all my life..

I was powerless to stop it.

And I hated myself for it.

She was gone.

* * *

My eyes opened, met with a ceiling with the color of coffee. The scent of coffee lingering in the air. I sat up, a cold sweat lingering from the memory which had invaded my slumber. The same dream haunted me every now and then, never getting any easier to experience.

I took in my surroundings; I was in a bed, which rays of sunlight were being cast onto from the window on my left. There was small piles of boxes on my right, which lead me to believe this is a storage room.

"_**Ah.. That's right."**_ I had passed out in front of Ken Kaneki.

I pushed the covers off me, standing up. I noticed my clothes had been swapped for a plain grey T-shirt and dark grey sweatpants. Shaking my head, I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. Still, I couldn't help but feel bad for whoever I inconvenienced.

A knock on the door caught me by surprise, making my heart jump. "Uh.. Are you awake, sir?" A voice that is best described as meek called out from the other side of the door.

"Ah, just a second." I called out, fixing the covers on the bed so they were fitted properly, wanting to make a good impression. Although that may already be too late considering the night before.

"Alright, you can come in." I turned to the door as it opened, revealing Kaneki; wearing his Anteiku uniform with a cup of coffee in hand, eye patch covering his left eye.

I hadn't realized until now, but it felt really off to see Kaneki like this. It had been years since I've seen Kaneki before his major changes. I had gotten used to his colder personalities. It also felt.. strangely refreshing. I couldn't help but feel saddened as well, considering what fate had planned for him.

I picked up the cup of hot coffee, and sat down on the bed in front of Kaneki. I then rested the cup in my lap, my hands wrapped around it for warmth.

"I uh.. I assume you've got questions?" I asked, which Kaneki nodded to quietly.

"How's your shoulder doing, Mr..?" Kaneki's question caught me by surprise. I honestly hadn't expected Kaneki to ask about my well-being, at least before asking about my background. Or.. Perhaps I was just expecting Kaneki to be like any other person from the real world.

"My shoulder has healed, and there seems to be no lasting damage. I assume you treated me while I.." I realized Kaneki would be the most worried since I had passed out right in front of him. "Ah, that's right. I didn't mean to scare you by passing out. I'm sorry about that. I'm Akihito Sato, but you can call me Aki for short."

"I'm glad you're feeling better, but there's really no need to apologize!" Kaneki waved his hands in front of him almost comically. "It's just that you looked like you really needed help, and I couldn't help but.. relate to you in that moment."

"I see.. Still, I caused you trouble, so I plan to repay you. Feel free to ask anything." I took a sip of coffee, closing my eyes.

"I would, but at the moment I'm on my shift, and I've already made plans for right after. Would later today be alright with you, Akihito?" Ken asked me, my eyes opening to be met with his eyes, which were filled with hope.

"Ah, of course. Is it really alright if I stay here though? I'd hate to just be dead weight, but I really have no where else to go.." I hoped I could get started working here. I couldn't just sit by and do nothing.

"Well.. would you be okay with working as a waiter here? I can ask the Manager to talk to you about working with us, if you'd be okay with that?"

I nodded, eager to get started, taking another sip. "Thank you.. Ah, I didn't catch your name?"

"My name is Ken Kaneki. I'm actually half human, and half ghoul."

"Likewise, which brings me onto another thing.. You know Dr. Kanou, right?"

"Ah, yeah.. Is he your doctor as well?" Kaneki tilted his head.

"You could say that.. Just don't talk to him anymore. He _knew_ what he was doing." I watched as Kaneki's eyes widened in shock. I felt bad for dropping the information on him so suddenly, but I had to cut his visits short, just in case Kanou decided to do something. I had no idea what my interference has done so far in this world, so I had to play it safe.

"I.. have some things to think about. I was supposed to meet him today for a check-up, but was told he hadn't shown up.." Kaneki's complexion looked a little paler than it had moments earlier.

"_**Wait, that wasn't supposed to happen until the CCG started investigating him. Perhaps my escape has him anxious about being found out?"**_

"Trust me, he won't be showing up anytime soon. And it's for the best anyways. I'll.. explain it to the manager, and he'll tell you at a later time, alright? No need to worry about this for now."

Kaneki nodded lightly, his gaze unfocused; as if he was in another world of his own.

I sighed, standing up and patting him on the shoulder. "There'll be lots of time later, right? No worries. Focus on what you gotta do right now, and don't let your worries chain you down."

Kaneki's eyes focused on me, widening a little upon processing my words. His eyes sharpened with focus, followed by a firm nod. "You're right."

I returned his thanks with a smile. "Well, you got a job to do, right? Don't let me keep you waiting."

* * *

Yoshimura was easily one of the easiest people to talk to. His aura radiated a feeling of comfort as soon as he stepped into the same room as you. His kindness is honestly overwhelming.

I explained my situation to him; specifically everything about Kanou that had happened to me. I left out the part that I'm from another world, since even if you convinced someone you were telling the truth, they would think you were crazy.

"This is very troubling news.. Thank you for letting me know. I'll have someone look into this for me." There was a look of deep thought and discomfort across his face.

"_**Perhaps he means Yomo?"**_

"Onto the next topic.. Kaneki told me you wanted a job here. Is this true?" Yoshimura's concerned look melted away, followed by a warm smile.

"Yes, that's right. I don't feel comfortable with staying here without giving anything back." I took a final sip of my coffee, placing the cup back on the nightstand. "And.. since becoming like this, I haven't felt like I've changed much. So it got me thinking that ghouls and humans aren't so different."

Yoshimura's face brightened.

"Well in that case, Anteiku would be glad to have you as part of its family. I can get you a uniform, and have you start tomorrow under training from Touka." Yoshimura spoke with a warm tone, picking up the discarded cup.

"Thank you. I really appreciate this, Mr Yoshimura."

"And I'm glad to see that someone else believes the possibility of ghouls and humans cooperating." Yoshimura finished, leaving shortly after.

"_**It's possible.. But the cost is steep.."**_

I sat there, boredom quickly rising up. What was I supposed to do until Kaneki came back? He's most likely going to Touka's place after his shift to check on Hinami.

"_**Ah, that's right. Touka can't cut bangs well at all." **_I chuckled to myself, searching through what I could remember from the early arcs of the story.

"_**I guess I was too late to save Ryouko.. I'm sorry, Hinami.." **_I understood how it feels to lose a mother at that age, but not as brutal as that must have been.

"_**Mom.. What would you do?" **_I sighed, standing up and swinging my arms around to stretch.

Thinking about it, I remembered how my mother had always liked to paint, always encouraging me to draw more. I hadn't actually been serious about drawing until she passed. I wouldn't ever paint them since that's what she loved doing. It was something I'd only let her do.

Looking around me, I noticed the boxes had a light blanket of dust on top of them.

"_**I wonder if they would mind if I used some art supplies? Although, I can't think of any being used so.. perhaps there isn't any to begin with?"**_

* * *

After finding paper, pencils, and erasers, I completely lost track of time. The room disappeared around me, leaving me alone on the floor with the pencil and paper. Every stroke was carefully, yet fluidly done.

I've always gone to my own world while drawing ever since I lost my mother, feeling a lingering connection that she had long left behind. It felt as if she was looking over my shoulder, watching my sketch with a smile on her face.

I decided to make an illustration of my mother, since in this world the last one I had made didn't exist. This way, I felt like I had a piece of home with me.

"Akihito?"

I jumped at the sudden call of my name, looking up at the door to notice Kaneki's head poking out the half open door.

"Oh- It's just you. Jeez you scared me!" I laughed, shaking off the remaining feeling of surprise.

"I-I didn't mean to!" Kaneki stammered.

"Relax, I'm alright. What's up?" I questioned, placing the paper with my half finished illustration neatly on the bed behind me.

"I was wondering if you could come with me for a little bit.. But when I knocked, there was no answer." Kaneki opened the door fully, his head tilting upon noticing the art supplies I had out.

"Where to?" I stood up, stretching my arms above my head. I felt my joints loosen up, followed by a loud crack from my back. "_**Ah.. I gotta stretch more while drawing."**_

"To Touka's place. She's a coworker that you saw last nigh-"

"Wait wait wait.. That girl? Are you sure that's alright?" I knew she wouldn't take to kindly to a complete stranger in her house, and I certainly didn't want to get thrown out a window.

"I.. wondered about that myself. She can be scary, but she's really nice once you get to know her! Eh.. kinda?" Kaneki's pitiful attempt to hide his discomfort behind a smile had not gone unnoticed.

"You're really bad at making this sound okay. You know that, right?" I raised my eyebrow, his smile dropping. I sighed, giving him a smile of my own. "I guess if you say it'll be okay, I can believe you. After all, you did look out for me."

* * *

"So you said there was another girl staying with Touka, right?" I questioned Kaneki, walking 2 steps behind him since he was leading the way. I had packed the sketch into a small book bag Kaneki lent me on our way out.

"Yeah, her name is Hinami Fueguchi. She'll be staying with Touka, probably for a while.." Kaneki's voice drifted off, his eyes cast down to the path ahead.

"Did.. something happen?" Already knowing the answer made me feel bad, since I probably was stirring up bad memories for Kaneki.

"Doves, or rather.. Investigators. They got to her parents.." Kaneki's voice had lowered in volume, reflecting his mood.

"I.. I'm sorry, I had no idea.." "_**Liar."**_

"It's not your fault, no need to apologize."

"But being that young.. I know what it's like to lose a mother at her age, but both her parents is just.."

"I understand. I can't say the same about my father, since I never got to know him in person. But my mother passed away when I was a child." Kaneki continued, looking up and over his shoulder towards me. "Is it alright if I ask how she..?"

"Car accident. She had lost a lot of blood, and she took a bad hit to the head. There wasn't much they could do.." Trailing off, tucked my hands into my sweatpants pockets. "It's hard to talk about, but when I draw, it feels like she's still here, y'know what I mean?"

Kaneki nodded quietly, returning his sights in front of him. "We're here."

I looked up, vaguely recognizing the apartment complex. I had only seen it once in the manga, so it took a moment.

"Oh.. Welcome back!" I heard Kaneki say on my left. I turned around, spotting Touka in her school uniform. Her face was void of emotion.

"H'Ooh? So you're into this sort of thing." Touka was definitely unimpressed.

"N-No.. I'm not a stalker.." Kaneki's cheerful tone had been replaced with a dejected one.

"Then what the hell are you doing here? Jeez.." Touka tiredly asked, followed by a finger pointed at me. "And why is he here?"

"I.. I was asked to come by Kaneki." I laughed nervously, receiving a glare from Touka.

"I figured that he'd have an easier time answering our questions if we were together, and I also wanted to check up on how Hinami is doing." Kaneki answered Touka's questions, his depressed tone fading to his meek one.

"Ugh.. Fine. But if either of you break anything, I'll kill you." Touka casually told us, brushing past us to head up the stairs to her apartment floor.

I would have to be careful not to knock anything over with my elbow.

* * *

**Zef here.**

**Weekly update! Yes every Friday this story will be getting updated (unless stated otherwise).**

**Something I wanted to expand upon this time around was Aki's mother, since Hinami had recently lost hers at this point in the story.**

**Yoshimura was probably the most difficult character to write, simply because it's actually been so long since he's been relevant to Tokyo Ghoul. I wish he had a bigger role to play in Re besides being a vending machine.**

**I'd like to thank you guys for all the follows and favorites that have been coming in! I didn't expect this many so early, and I'm really grateful!**

**Answering reviews:**

**SocialistBukharin: I'm glad you're interested! I got lots planned, so I hope you enjoy all that's coming!**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Family**

"Hinami, I'm home."

"Welcome back big sist.. Huh?"

Hinami's face brightened once she noticed Kaneki step in. She skipped down the hallway with her arms out as if she was trying to fly off like a bird.

"Big brother Kaneki!" Hinami stopped at the doorway in front of Kaneki, her excited face morphing into a more curious look when she noticed me step in behind Kaneki.

Hinami was wearing a short, white plaid gown. In her hair was a flower hair clip. Her bangs were cut crooked, which I assumed to be Touka's handiwork. I gave her a friendly smile, which was met with the same curious look.

"How are you doing, Hinami?" Kaneki smiled, getting Hinami's attention once more.

"I'm doing good! Big sister Touka's apartment can get a little boring when she's away, but she gave me some colored pencils to draw with," my eyes widened a little upon hearing Hinami's interest for drawing, "and I've been taking notes on kanji I don't understand yet for the next time I got to see you!"

"That's grea-"

"He said he'd been waiting in front of the house for thirty minutes with this other guy. Creepy, isn't it?" Touka interrupted Kaneki, lining her discarded shoes beside Hinami's at the door. Hinami's head tilted, her eyes going back and forth between Kaneki and me.

"Ah, my name is Akihito Sato, but you can call me Aki. It's nice to meet you, Hinami."

"Nice to meet you.." Hinami seemed pretty shy, but that's to be expected. She had been the same way towards Kaneki in the beginning.

"Oh! Hinami, did you get your hair cut?" Kaneki seemingly forgot about Touka's comment from a moment ago, just noticing Hinami's hair.

"Y-Yeah.. Big sister cut it for me." Hinami ran her fingers along the edges of her uneven bangs, seemingly aware of the crookedness.

"It looks great! Almost like it was done by a real hairdresser." Hinami's face brightened with a smile after hearing Kaneki's compliment. I couldn't tell if Kaneki was joking, or if he genuinely believed it was professionally done. Although I have to admit, it does seem to fit her well.

"Y-Yeah, that's right it totally does.." Touka hid her discomfort behind a confident smile, her eyes trailing off to the side indicated to me that she was anything but confident. "Anyways, why exactly are you two here?"

"Oh, right.. Well I heard from the Manager that Hinami moved in with you, so I figured you might need help to set her room up. Also.. Akihito wanted to have most of us together for our questions." Hinami was trailing behind Kaneki, with her hands gripping his shirt. Her eyes were looking back at me with the same curious look.

Touka looked over her shoulder past Kaneki to see me. "Right, you.. Jeez.. Why do I gotta deal with this? Alright, I have a place that we can sit right over here."

"Here Hinami," Kaneki pulled out and handed a book to Hinami, "I got this for you to read in your free time."

Hinami's eyes were wide and bright, looking at the book clutched in her hands. "Thank you big brother Kaneki!"

Touka led us to her living room, pointing us towards the couch against the wall with a coffee table in front of it. Hinami sat down on the couch and began reading the new book Kaneki had given her.

"Make yourselves comfortable, I'll start a batch of coffee." Touka stepped over to the other side of the room, which had a small open kitchen.

"Hey Touka, what's all this?" Kaneki pointed over to a pile of boxes which were placed beside the couch. One of these boxes had a giant plushie which looked like a strange sort of yellow cat character.

"They're some things I bought for Hinami's room. She'll get pretty bored otherwi-" The sound of the door bell cut Touka off. "Another guest?" Touka walked back to the entrance to investigate, while Kaneki picked up the strange cat plushie.

"Hinami, how about I move these into your room?" Kaneki asked, looking over to Hinami.

"Thank you, big brother. After, could you tutor me?"

"Of course." Kaneki smiled, receiving a smile from Hinami in return

Hinami's curious look returned, looking towards the hallway. She stood up and walked into the hallway.

"Hinami, hide." I heard Touka whisper, followed by Hinami coming back around the corner with her shoes in hand. I remembered that it should be Yoriko behind that door, and if she saw Hinami then it wouldn't be good.

"Uhm.. Uh.." Hinami looked around the room, which lead me to believe she didn't know where she should go.

"Here, behind the boxes." I pointed towards the small gap between the boxes and the side of the couch.

Kaneki looked completely confused, and walked over to the hallway.

Hinami sat down in the small gap with her knees up to her chin, still holding onto her shoes. I picked up a box and put it in front of her, effectively hiding her from sight.

"Don't worry, you're sure to win any game of hide and seek with me around." I whispered, hoping to calm her worries.

I looked around, realizing Kaneki wasn't in the room. "_**Ah, great. Just too curious, right Ken?"**_

I stepped into the hallway to be met with Kaneki's back. He was still holding that weird cat plushie. Over Ken's shoulder I could see Touka's back, and staring back at me over her shoulder was Yoriko's shocked face.

"_**.. Well this is going to give her the wrong idea."**_

I watched as Yoriko hurriedly gave Touka her home cooking, and gave her a determined thumbs up before making her exit; leaving a confused Touka standing there. She sighed and shut the door, turning back into her home.

"What did she mean by-" Touka stopped mid sentence, her eyes landing on the two of us. Her eyes narrowed and she brushed past us towards the kitchen. Kaneki followed quickly behind her, while I went back to Hinami's hiding place.

"Alright, you can come out now." I pulled the box out of the gap, revealing Hinami squished up between the other boxes and the couch. Hinami then scooted out of the gap and stood up straight, straightening out her clothes.

"So I heard earlier you have an interest in drawing?" I asked Hinami, her eyes widening slightly, followed by a light seemingly to appear in her eyes.

"Yeah.. I'm not very good though.."

"Well nobody really starts off as good. It takes experience to get better, but.. it never hurts to take a few pointers from someone else. Here, how about I show you a few things?"

"You'd do that?"

"Of course. You could turn out to be a really good artist one day if you keep at it." I sat down on the floor on one end of the coffee table, pulling out the art supplies from Kaneki's loaned bag. Hinami took a seat on my left, watching with curiosity.

I realized quickly how very difficult teaching someone could be. I had no idea where to go from, but I had already gotten Hinami's hopes up so I couldn't just ditch it.

"Alright, so keep in mind that while there are basics most people follow, their styles are very distinct. Some more than others, so your goal is to find out what you're most comfortable with." Hinami listened closely, nodding her head.

"Hm.. Do you have any drawings? I'd like to see where you are at the moment."

"Oh, I got some in my notebook.. Here, I'll go get it. Excuse me." Hinami ran into the hallway, followed by the sound of a door opening.

I placed the stack of papers on the center of the table, getting two blank pages; one for me, one for Hinami.

"Dumbass! What do you think you're doing?!" Touka's yell reached my ears, my eyes making their way across the room to the kitchen which Touka and Kaneki were currently at. "I'm going to eat it! She went out of her way to make it for me."

"_**That's right, Yoriko made Touka a meal to cheer her up, ironically making her sick.."**_

"Sorry for keeping you waiting." Hinami came back in and sat back down with her notebook in hand.

"No worries, now we can-"

"_BLEGH!"_

I looked back over to see Kaneki covering his mouth, his complexion sickly. I did my best to hide a smirk, since his reactions were always so dramatic.

"Can I see your most recent drawing?" I asked Hinami, getting her attention back from Kaneki who was now hunched over the garbage.

"Ah, here.." Hinami flipped through her notebook and placed it flat on the table in front of me. It looked like an average kid's drawing you'd put up on a fridge as a proud parent. As for the picture itself, it was three animals wearing scarves; two larger and one smaller one with a flower on its ear.

"Ah, these are really cute. What sort of animals are they?"

"It's me with my mom and dad.." Hinami's cast-down expression, paired with her quiet yet clear response tugged at my heart.

"Ah.. I'm sorry for your loss.. I heard about it from Kaneki on the way.."

Hinami gripped her gown tightly, keeping her eyes on the drawing.

"I guess that's not really what you want to hear, is it? I.. understand a little about what you might be feeling." Hinami's eyes drifted to me.

"By 'understand'... Do you mean something happened to your parents?" She asked, her voice was a whisper at this point.

"My mother died in a car accident.. A few years back. I was around your age. She went out to buy groceries, but on the walk back she was hit.. The driver was drunk, and lost control of the car.." I tapped the pencil in my hand lightly against the blank piece of paper in front of me.

"I was at school when it happened, so once I received the phone call, I just ditched class to make my way to the hospital. She had held on for only 20 minutes after I arrived, and that was that.." I looked over to the pile of papers, and reached over to pluck the illustration of my mother I had been working on.

"She told me that it was okay to be sad, but to never let it chain me down to one place.. The pain of her loss has gotten easier to live with, but never disappeared."

"She wanted you to live.." Hinami said, her eyes landing on the illustration I placed down in front of her.

"Yes. That's exactly right."

"Is the woman in the drawing her?" Hinami asked, eyes going up and down the drawing.

I nodded, looking over the half done drawing. "She always liked my drawings, so drawing her makes me feel a little closer to her."

I looked over to Hinami, her eyes landing on me. "I'm sure your parents would want you to be happy when remembering them. It hurts, but it does get easier to live with."

Hinami gave a small smile and nodded. "I think so too."

* * *

**Chapter 5.5: Yoriko's Visit**

Yoriko had noticed Touka had been acting a little off today at school, so she made meat and potato stew to hopefully cheer her up. What she didn't expect though was to be met with no response from her best friend.

"_**Maybe she's not home..?"**_

Taking out her phone, Yoriko called Touka's cell, only to hear the vibrating device from the other side of the door. Shortly, the door opened to reveal Touka.

"What's up?"

"Ah.. I'm sorry for coming over so suddenly." Yoriko apologized.

"You were acting a little off at school, so I was worried."

"Huh? I wasn't any different from how I usually am.. You just worry too much, Yoriko."

"Yeah, but Touka.. You were making the same lonely face you had when your dad was transferred overseas. If I'm wrong then I'm really sorry.."

Yoriko's eyes shifted down and took notice of two pairs of shoes.

"Wait.. did Ayato and your Dad come home?" Yoriko asked, her eyes lifting up and filling with shock upon spotting Kaneki and Akihito over Touka's shoulder.

"Ehh? W-Wait Touka.. It can't be, you of all people.."

Touka's eyebrow raised in confusion, but before she could ask what was wrong Yoriko bowed her head frantically.

"I'm just in the way here! I'm sorry I'll go!"

"Hold on a minute, what is it Yoriko?" Touka leaned against the door frame, still confused about what her friend was going on about.

"I honestly thought it would just be the two of us, but.." Yoriko shoved the pot of stew she had made for Touka into Touka's hands.

"W-Wait what is.."

"It's meat and potato stew. Eat it with them!"

"Whaaa? What are you saying?"

Yoriko's eyes narrowed with determination to support Touka the best she could. She still was a little shocked at the idea that Touka was into threesomes, but as her friend she had to stand by her decisions.

"Alright. You got this." Yoriko said, giving Touka a thumbs up before leaving her in the doorway.

* * *

**Zef here.**

**Ahhh this was a really fun chapter to write. I'm also running on too many cups of coffee which I'm too ashamed to specify. The idea of Hinami being interested in art had always been a reoccurring thought of mine, especially with how simple yet cute her drawings are shown to be.**

**And dear Yoriko sure got the wrong idea. Akihito being there gave Yoriko's misinterpretation a lot more depth.**

**Review time!**

**SocialistBukharin: **

**(1) I got a lot planned for the upcoming arcs, which hopefully will be very interesting for all the readers! And of course, Hinami will have a lot more moments with Aki and Kaneki. As for the story itself, it'll be based purely on the manga.**

**(2) I do plan to expand a lot upon Aki, but I don't want to dump too much all at once. All I can say now though is I have dropped a subtle clue in the first chapter, much like Ishida liked to do every now and then with his tarot cards.**

**Reviews are always appreciated. Thank you everyone for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Kagune**

".. I can't believe this.." Touka was seated on the end of the couch, her pale face showed discomfort from Yoriko's cooking, which had sent her straight to the restroom earlier.

Kaneki stood on the opposite side of the couch, his face pale more so from the news I had just dropped on them.

Hinami was seated next to Touka, a couple drawings of shapes from different perspectives in front of her. However, her attention was cast down at me along with the rest.

I was seated in front of the three on the opposite end of the coffee table, with pencil in hand, and a stack of paper in front of me.

"Yeah, when I woke up I had already been.. well, a ghoul." I tapped my pencil against the paper in thought, recalling the events of waking up in that underground facility.

"But that's.. Who the hell does he think he is, meddling with lives like that?!" Touka stood up, having lost her composure. "Being a ghoul isn't some fucked up lab experiment.. It's who we are damn it!"

"There's two others who were there." I begun sketching out accurate enough sketches of Kurona and Nashiro. "Kurona and Nashiro refer to Kanou as their father, so they'll be at his side to protect him." I finished and slid the sketches in front of them. "If you see the two of them, do not engage in combat. They have combat experience from their time at the CCG's Junior Academy."

"So this place.. You know where it is?" My eyes shifted from Touka to Kaneki, who looked uneasy.

"I do, but.." I knew if Kaneki or more likely Touka were to attempt an attack, they certainly wouldn't survive. "We shouldn't engage them. I told the manager as well, so if you really must know, it's up to him."

Touka gritted her teeth as she sat back down, composing herself. "Damn it all.."

I'm sure Touka's worries were set on Yoriko, probably worrying on her potentially disappearing and ending up as another test subject. There had been missing people reports scattered on the fronts of stores and street lights along the way to the apartment.

"So how the hell did _you _escape?" Touka's question had definitely been laced with distrust, which wasn't good for my situation.

"I had been sick from the surgery, or rather.. getting accustomed to the RC cells in my body. I believe it has something to do with the fact I had none to begin with, which Kanou had never seen before."

"Uhm.. What is an RC cell?" Hinami questioned, her head tilted to the side.

"Oh, they're what make up your kagune. They also help to heal your wounds at a super-human pace." Answering Hinami, I pointed to my back. "They're stored mainly in the kakuhou; the base where your kagune comes from. It's the reason why ghouls need to feed off humans, because they can't produce them on their own."

"Ah, I see."

"Anyways, Kurona and Nashiro had left to meet with kanou upon his arrival, which gave me a chance to slip out. The place is like a maze, so there was trouble finding the exit. I was able to make it out undetected."

"Seems a little convenient that you just 'managed' to escape without trouble." Touka was still skeptical. Not good, but there's not much to do about that for now.

"It left me uneasy at first, like someone was going to jump me as I got out. But I made it this far without any trouble.. besides some stray ghoul getting territorial outside Anteiku's alleyways."

"He has been dealt with. How do we know you aren't just here to cause trouble?" Touka's eyes narrowed as she studied me.

"I.. I don't have any sort of way to prove that to you. All I can offer is my life to be taken if you see fit."

"Hmph.." Touka closed her eyes and crossed her arms, seemingly put a little at ease.

"Touka.." Touka's eyes drifted to Kaneki, who had a contemplative look on his face. "I'd like to begin another spar soon.. The other day with the CCG, I was barely able to fend off one of them. I need to get strong enough to protect everyone."

Touka stretched her arms out above her head as she stood up. "Alright, but don't expect me to go easy." Touka's gaze fell on me. "Oi, have you ever been in a fight before?"

"I haven't. I never had a reason to.." I scratched the back of my head and shrugged off the nervous feeling I had. I knew this was going to lead to a painful learning experience.

"Tomorrow, after your job training. You'd better not expect me to pull my punches." The smug look on Touka's face scared me a little.

* * *

"Huh, so you actually are more capable than you look." I was surprised, followed by confused if I should take offense to what Touka said. I focused on pouring the hot water in gentle circles into the grounded coffee beans.

A day had passed from visiting Touka's place with Kaneki. When I had arrived, Yoshimura had fitted me with an Anteiku uniform, before making the needed adjustments to fit properly.

"It's not like I haven't made coffee before. When I first started, I'm sure it tasted terrible.. Still, my dad drank it before he headed off to work." I smiled slightly, feeling a little homesick. "_**He must be worried sick.."**_

"I'll be the judge of that. Let me have a taste to see if your cup will be customer satisfactory."

"Alright, coming right up." I removed the coffee filter and poured a cup for Touka, confident that it wasn't going to be terrible.

Touka picked the cup up, eyeing it carefully before raising the edge of the coffee cup to her mouth.

I watched her take a sip, doing my best to pick apart her initial reaction to the taste. Yet she didn't seem to react at all.

Touka set the cup down and nodded. "Not terrible.. You're about equal level to Kaneki's cups."

"I'll take that as a pass." I smiled, only to receive a raised eyebrow from Touka.

"Don't get ahead of yourself there, trainee. I still need to show you where we keep the packages, and then you'll need to wait for your uniform."

"Packages?"

"Yeah, the meat.. Oh, wait.." Touka realized quickly I wouldn't be familiar with what she meant.

I sighed, forcing myself to not react too badly. I knew this would be coming, but preparing for it was a little difficult. "It's fine.. I mean.. I'll be fine."

Touka stared at me for a moment, seemingly a little confused by my reaction, before motioning me to follow.

* * *

Heading to the back room, Touka stopped in front of a refrigerator. Without a word, she opened it and stepped aside, allowing me to see the contents of the fridge.

My eyes scanned the contents; there was around twenty paper packages, each about the size of a book. The smell that faintly reached my nose was pleasant, which made me uncomfortable since I understood the contents of the packaged contents.

"You're.. taking this quite well, compared to Kaneki's reaction." My eyes drifted away from the packages and focused on Touka, who was giving me a curious look, almost like she was studying me.

I stayed silent, not knowing how to respond. I couldn't tell her I already knew because I had read this in a manga.

"Why aren't you at all afraid? Your whole life was just snatched away from you.. Ever since we met you, you've been so calm.. It's really irritating." Touka's glare dug daggers into me, my eyes drifted back to the fridge's contents.

"I never said I wasn't afraid." My eyes focused back on Touka, her glare melting away into a confused stare. "Of course I'm afraid. Everything has changed, and I'm terrified. But.. I can't let that hold me back, otherwise I'd break a promise I made a long time ago."

Touka's face relaxed, eyes studying me once more. She kept silent.

"I can't let fear control me. I have to keep looking forward, and eventually I'll find my way."

".. Hmph."

I closed my eyes and sighed heavily, relaxing my tense shoulders. I then opened my eyes and gave Touka a soft smile.

"I'll be fine, I just need a little time to adjust. It's okay to be afraid, that's what it means to be human."

".. Whatever. Here." Touka handed me a package from the fridge, which had a date written down on it.

"Lucky you, it's fresh. Kaneki and Yomo brought it back a few days ago. Training is concluded for now, so go change and meet back here in an hour, after we close up shop."

I nodded, looking up from the package towards Touka. She seemed to be in deep thought about something, before turning and heading out to the front of Anteiku, leaving me alone in the back room.

I only realized how hungry I actually was after I looked down at the package, but the thought of what it was made me want to feel sick about it. I'd have to eat human flesh in order to survive, but how could I bring myself to do this?

"_**I know I have no choice.. so it'll be best to do it now.. Please, forgive me."**_

* * *

After an hour passed like Touka had said, I stood in the back room, waiting for her and Kaneki. There was a sweet aftertaste leftover in my mouth, and the mild discomfort of hunger had ceased.

"_**I feel a lot lighter.."**_

"Oh Akihito! How did training with Touka go for you?" Kaneki's voice pulled me from my thoughts, my eyes trailed up to see Touka and Kaneki standing in front of me.

"It went well. Touka showed me where the supplies was, and tested me on my to make coffee. Afterwards I had a.. meal." My jaw tightened a little in discomfort.

Kaneki nodded in understanding, his discomfort showing through his averted gaze.

Touka didn't even make eye contact with me as she brushed past me, pulling a door open to reveal a short hallway. Kaneki and I followed her, before she stopped to pull up a trap door at the end of the hallway.

"Down here." Touka said, stepping down onto a ladder and making her way down.

Kaneki followed, familiar with this route. I followed down after him.

* * *

"What a big place.." I said as the three of us stopped in the middle of a large room, with multiple branching paths and huge concrete columns around us, keeping the place from collapsing.

"Yeah, just don't head too far, or you'll likely never find your way back. This place was built by ghouls a long time ago, to hide from the world above." Touka said, a few steps ahead of me and Kaneki.

"Kaneki, have you been training on your own time?" Touka asked, turning her head over her shoulder.

"Yeah. Recently I've been running at night. It actually feels pretty good to move my body around."

"Uh-huh.." Touka stopped and rolled her sleeve up, swinging a fist into Kaneki's gut without any warning.

"Guhck..!" Kaneki crouched down, holding his stomach has he gasped for air.

"You still need more muscle. The surviving doves will be refining themselves, and be getting ready for their countermeasures. They're going to be even more dangerous.. I also.. have to get stronger.." Touka mumbled to herself.

"Kaneki, you'll be fine since you have Rize's kagune. Akihito, I have no idea what sort of kagune you have, so.. I'll be showing you how to use it properly."

"I'd rather not rely on the kagune, if possible." Kaneki stood up, as if he wasn't in pain a mere moment ago. "I believe I shouldn't use a power that I can't control. The way I am now, I can't help people with it. I just break things and hurt others. I'd only regret it, since all I want to do is help others.."

I looked over to Kaneki, before feeling a sudden pressure slam into my gut.

"Ack!" I fell backwards and clutched my stomach in pain, just like Kaneki had.

"What, you plan to fight barehanded?" Touka completely ignored my pained grunts.

"I'll just fight like you did against Nishio." Kaneki said, imitating some sort of attack. "It feels like it won't cause any unnecessary injuries."

"Hmph, what a waste. You wouldn't be able to do anything like that without being able to do a backflip."

".. A backflip?!"

I picked myself up slowly, holding the throbbing spot from Touka's attack with my right hand. I looked over to Kaneki.

Touka looked down towards me. "You're the same as him. I'm surprised I didn't break anything there." Touka said, turning away from us to continue down the walkway.

I sighed and stood up straight once the pain had numbed a little, and followed behind Kaneki and Touka.

We stopped in a large area, which would give us a lot more room to move freely.

"Kaneki, stand back. I'd like to assess Akihito the same way as I did for you." Touka said, stretching her arms out behind her head.

I looked over to Kaneki, who visibly paled and took a few steps back. I knew where this was headed, so I had to release my kagune right away. Otherwise.. I'd have something broken.

I focused back on Touka as she began running towards me. She jumped up, so instinctively I ducked as she swung her leg in a horizontal kick. I jumped back a few steps, only for her to close in on me and sweep my legs out from under me with another kick. I fell onto my side, only to be met with her stepping onto my arm.

"If you fight like that, you won't even be capable of fighting a ghoul child." Touka said, applying pressure onto my arm. I attempted to pry her foot off my arm, only to get kicked in the chest, leaving me breathless on the ground.

"You might die here actually.." Touka muttered, kicking me once again, sending me flying a few feet, right into a concrete column.

I coughed as I attempted to stand and recover, I felt like I got a few fractures from those attacks. I looked up to see Touka, her eyes a deep black with two red iris. The veins around her eyes became visibly much more red from the RC cells flowing through them.

I focused on the lower part of my back once more, feeling the rush of RC cells through my body, only for Touka to show a shocked look a moment later.

"But.. That's.."

"That's the same as mine..?" Kaneki's voice could be heard, cutting off Touka.

I stood up straight, the pain numbing quickly as two rinkaku tentacles were at my sides, emitting a gentle red glow through the patches of hardened black RC cells.

"I'll give you a warning," I began, a slight grin reaching my face, "I can get pretty competitive, so I won't be holding back either."

* * *

**Zef here,**

**Helloooo! This chapter came a little late, but I really wanted this chapter to feel right. I rewrote it twice actually, just to make sure it was up to my standards for myself.**

**Reviews are always appreciated! Thank you for reading another chapter!**


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